Sauerkraut machine



J. MAZZOCO SAUERKRAUT MACHINE Filed June ll, 1934 Imm.

Oct. 1, 1935.

Patented Oct. 1, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

My invention relates to sauerkraut machines or machines for slicing or cutting vegetables and the main object is to provide a machine of this kind in a simple, practical and convenient form which may be readily placed over a tub or other vessel and the vegetables sliced or cut rapidly and easily by simply placing them in the machine and turninga crank thereon.

Another object is to provide a machine of this kind comprising a frame adapted to be secured over the rim of the receiving vessel by conveniently placed and operated clamps and having a crank rotated cutting disk with radially extended cutting knives to which the vegetables may be held and pressed by a removable pad member or plates, the disk being enclosed within a substantially circular upstanding wall or rim divided centrally by a beam or cross bar of the frame so as to provide two separate but identical hopper or cutting chambers at each side.

With these and other objects in View as may appear hereinafter in the course of this specication attention is directed to the accompanying drawing wherein a preferred embodiment of my invention is shown for purposes of exemplication and wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan View of my machine.

Figure 2 is a section along the line 2-2 in Figure 1, showing the machine in use and as mounted on the rim of a receptacle shown in dotted lines.

Figure 3 is a section along the line 3-3 in Figure 2.

Figure 4 isa detached plan view of the cutting disk alone.

Figure 5 is an enlarged section along the line 5-5 in Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a detached plan View of the pressure pad element alone.

Figure 7 is a detail view in cross section through one wall and cross beam showing the mounting of one of the stop plates.

Referring now with more particularity to the drawing my invention comprises a frame designated generally at 'l and made up of the side rails 8 joined by spaced arcuate cross bars 9 and a medial cross beam I I). The latter has a central bearing socket II receiving a stub or pin I2 on the underside and center of a circular cutter disk I3 which turns in this socket within the confines of the frame l. Side brackets I4 are secured centrally on each side rail 8 and between these brackets an upper cross beam I5 is extended in parallelism with the lower (Cl. 14S-125) beam I0 and spaced upwardly therefrom to provide a passage way I6 for the disk I3, this upper beam I5 having a central aperture or bore Il' receiving the shaft I8 extended upwardly from the said disk. An upper gear housing or 5 bridge member I9 is secured by bolts I9a across the upper ends of the side brackets I4 in line with the upper cross beam I5 and has a central enlarged section cut out to provide a gear chamber or case 20 in which is journaled a beveled 10 gear 2l. The shaft 22 of this gear 2| is journaied down through the bottom 23 of the gear chamber 20 and has a tapered drive collar 24 which is journaled in the complementarily tapered upper end or mouth 25 of the bore I'l in l5 the upper cross beam I5. The collar 22 has a square or angular socket 26 in its lower end receiving the squared upperend 2l of the disk shaft I3 whereby the disk I3 may be rotated by rotation of the gear 2l. One laterallyex- 20 tended arm 28 of the bridge member I9 is provided with a longitudinal shaft channel 29 in which a drive shaft 30 is journaled, by means of conventional bearing caps 3| at the inner and outer ends of the channel, the outer end of 25 the said drive shaft being provided with a crank 32 out at one side of the machine and the inner end of the shaft within the gear chamber 20 being provided with a beveled pinion 33 placed in mesh with the aforesaid gear 2|. The gear 30 chamber 20 and channel 29 are covered with a shield plate 34 secured in place by screws 35.

The cutter disk I3 has an upstanding marginal rim St and between the central hub portion 3l and this rim the disk preferably slopes 35 downwardly and outwardly as shown in Figures 2 and 3. A plurality (here shown as four) of radially extended slots 38 are cut through the disk between the hub and rim and one upper margin of each slot is recessed out angularly or 40 shouldered as at 39 to receive a cutting blade 40 which is secured to said shoulder by bolts or screws 4l and by the angularity of the shoulder is supported over the slot with its cutting edge 42 extended angularly upward slightly above the 45 plane of the upper face of the disk and spaced from the opposite margin of the slot as best shown in Figure 5. One blade 40 is of course provided for each slot 38 as described and their cutting edges 42 are all directed forwardly in 50 the direction in which the cutting disk will be rotated when the crank 32 is turned and the gear and pinion 2| and 33 set in motion.

Arcuate walls or sides 43 are secured by screws 44 throughtheir out-turned ends 45 to 55 the ends of the upper cross beam I5 at each side thereof and are of such shape and size that they Will fit nicely at their lower margins within the marginal rim 35 of the cutter disk and permit free rotation of said disk while at the same time effectually enclosing the disk. Braces or brace straps 46 are secured at 41 to medial points on the aforesaid arcuate cross bars 9 and extend upwardly and inwardly therefrom over the disk rim 36 and are secured to the outer sides of the walls 43 at 48 whereby to brace and reinforce said walls at their centers.

The machine so constructed may be secured over the top of a tub, barrel or other receptacle' to receive the products and one such vesselV isV indicated in dotted lines A in Figure 2, the fastening being by means of clamp bars 49 set over the side rails 8 and having at their centers inverted U-shaped clamps 50 adapted to be set astraddle the rim of the vessel. These clamps 50 are held in place on the bars 49 by bolts 5I and wing nuts 52 and are secured to the vessel A by clamp screws 53 of conventional form. The clamp bar Ils may be placed at any position along the outer ends of the side rails 8 to t the vessel but it is of course necessary that the vessel be of such size that the side rails ii may rest on its upper end in order that the machine may be pressed down tight on the vessel when the clamps are tightened. When so mounted vegetables of any Ykind but especially cabbage and the like designated at B in Figure 2 may be placed in the two identical chambers designated at C and C and upon rotation of the'disk I3 as described these vegetables will be out or sliced by the blades 40 and will drop through the slots 38 into the vessel A beneath. In order toprevent the vegetables from piling up'in the corners D and D of the chambers C and C' toward which the blades 40 move as the cutting disk rotates stop plates 54 c are placed between the walls 43 and upper cross beam I5 at some distance from these corners and in substantially parallel positions relative to the knives 40 as they pass beneath. These stop plates 54 in height extend from near the top of the'walls 43 to the upper face of the cutter disk and are secured in place by studs 55 on their outer sides which project into apertures 55 in said walls and by entering their inner sides in vertical grooves or sockets 51 in the sides of the cross beam I5. rIl'1e vegetables striking these plates will be held while cut by the blades 4E) instead of wedging up and working out of the sharp corners D and D.

In order to press the vegetables to the disk I3 for proper cutting action I providea pressure member or tamper designated generally at 58 made up of two segmental plates or pads 59 of shape and size to nicely enter the chambers C and C and joined by an inverted U-shaped strap B0 adapted to straddle the cross beam I5 and bridge member I9. This strap 60 is secured by screws 6i through its feet 62 to the pads 59 and has a handle 63 on its bight by which'it may be placed on the machine and the pads pressed down on the vegetables therein as needed for best cutting action. Opposite ends of the pads 59 are cut olf angularly at 64 to clear the stop plates 54. By removing the bolts IQa the bridge member I9 may be readily removed allowing access to the disk drive for cleaning or lubrication this action being facilitated by the drive collar '24 and its slip or socket connection to the shaft I8. The machine may be further taken apart by removing only a few screws as will be aparent.

Itis thought the operation of the machine will be readily understood without further descrip tion herein, it being evident that almost any kind of vegetables may be readily and rapidly sliced or cut as needed making the machine particularly useful in making sauer kraut and the like.

While I have herein set forth a certain pree ferred embodiment of my invention, it is understood that I may vary from the same in minor structural details, so as best to construct a practical device for the purpose intended, not departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

In a machine of the kind described, a frame comprising side rails, a lower cross beam, a disk journaled on the cross beam, an upper cross beam mounted across and above the disk, a bridge member mounted above the upper cross beam'and having a central gear chamber, a pair of meshing gears mounted in the Chamberland one connected to the disk, a crank mounted exteriorly of the frame and connected to the other gear, the said disk having an upstanding marginal rim, arcuate side walls secured at their ends to the upper cross beam and tting within the said disk rim, and radially extended cutting blades on the disk, the said disk having radial, slots adjacent and beneath the cutting blades and stop plates extended between the side walls and upper cross beam adjacent opposite ends thereof, the said stop plates being set substantiallyY in parallelism with the blades on the disk, clamp bars set across the side rails of the frames, clamps U mounted centrally on the clamp bars, a tamping member comprising pressure plates adapted to enter the chamber between the side walls and upper cross beam, and an inverted `Ushaped con- 

